Hope you are having a fabulous day!

I have moved Boasting In My Weakness from  wordpress.com to wordpress.org.  This means that all of you who are receiving this in your inbox right now, will no longer be receiving anymore email posts from BoastingInMyWeakness.com

I love that you subscribe and read, and would LOVE to have you continue!!  SO, if you would like to continue receiving email blog updates from me, you will need to go to http://boastinginmyweakness.com – and re-subscribe by email.  {sorry}

Since I have moved, you are currently receiving this email from http://bimw.wordpress.com – and this will be the last post posted here – everything has been transferred over to my new self-hosted blog!!  The changes are going to be GREAT! Hope you’ll follow me over there!

So again, just head over to http://boastinginmyweakness.com – and subscribe by email in the side bar there – and you will continue receiving email updates as usual!!

See you on the other side….

Working on some fun new changes for the blog!  Bear with me for a little bit, as things might get a little wonky around here.  Hope it wont be long – and the interruption will be well worth it!!  Be back soon!!

I was SO extremely blessed by the amazing speakers and their sweet, sweet hearts for the Lord and for the homeschooling mom!

I took extensive notes – via twitter!  Lol!  It was super fun live tweeting from the retreat.  I tweeted the wonderful nuggets of truth and encouragement that really struck my heart.  It was also great to have other wonderful bloggers in the room doing the same (Amber, Christy, & Heather)- so I could retweet the parts I missed tweeting myself!

So, what I’ve decided to do, is compile those precious nuggets of wisdom and encouragement here for you!  Trying to weed through them on twitter can get a little daunting, so I hope this will give you a picture of what all we learned and walked away with during our weekend in Austin.  There is great wisdom to be found for the homeschool parent – as well as parents in general!

We had amazing, godly ladies who spoke at our Austin retreat – Heidi St.John, Zan Tyler, Debra Bell, Elizabeth Smith, Rachael Carman, followed by a discussion panel of all the speakers at the end.

{L to R: Rachael Carman, Anne MacCallum-worship leader, Debra Bell, Zan Tyler, Heidi St.John, Elizabeth Smith – photo taken during panel discussion time}

In today’s post, I will share some of my favorite highlights from what Heidi and Zan shared with us…

First up: Heidi St. John

• The goal of education is discipleship – discipleship starts at home.
• The Lord is going to equip you for everything you will encounter along the way!
• Listen to your children but remember that the responsibility for bringing them up has been given to you by God.
• Homeschooling is a miracle – because in and of ourselves – we could never do it! {God is the one working in and through us!}
• There is no formula for parenting, there is only Faith.
• Child training trumps the abc’s every time!
• If your curriculum isn’t working – shelve it! You wouldn’t make your kids wear shoes that hurt.
• Listen to the Lord – you can not hear from the Lord if you do not spend time in the word.
• Show your children what it means to listen to the Lord – spend time in the word with them.
• Listen to the Lord – listen to your husband – listen to your children – listen to godly counsel
• Spirit-filled homeschooling is not bound by legalism {Dont need to follow what a homeschooler is “supposed” to look like – follow the Lord}
• Your children have been given to you by the Lord as a weapon in a spiritual battle (Psm 127:4) Launch your arrows for the Lord!
• Once you let the arrow go, its not coming back. Children are not boomerangs.
• Invest in what matters most – invest in your child’s heart! That is the goal of Christian parenting!
• Follow the Leader-Jesus (in your parenting/homeschooling)…what was He like? Gentle and humble in heart.
• Lord what does it means to take your yoke on me?  Being yoked with Christ means finding rest.
• Instead of running to the next program for help – run to the Lord – He will provide your every need.
• We have to partner with the Lord, on our knees, praying over each child.
• Jesus gave me three imperatives: come to me, take my yoke, learn from me.
• Academics are a secondary focus – our primary focus should be descipleship.
• The homeschool years are going to fly by, a blip on the radar, enjoy the journey.

Zan Tyler:

• who is my child? what is his passion? what interests him? Start with relationship – not curriculum
• The greatest gift you can give your children is intimacy/relationship in the home
• the stronger the relationships are with your children, the greater their education in the home
• Cultivating intimacy.Quality time grows out of quantity of time you spend w your kids, in daily life.
• time is a great gift the Lord has given us – time is a precursor to intimacy.
• Cultivate intimacy with personal presence with your kids.
• Jesus WALKED w/his disciples, ministering to them, talking to them, spending TIME w them, Investing HIMSELF. {He is our model as parents}
• Be the unhurried teacher who is about spending time with her kids.
• God ordained the family – and what He ordained He will bless!
• If we are going to disciple our children, it is not going to be accidentally – it’s going to be intentionally.
• Grace is transmitted through Godly parenting.
• As you’re determined to bless your children – God is much more determined to bless you(us).
• Interaction with adults is one of the most important tools in a childs development-Who’s interacting with your child?
•  The home environment is giving them a place to spend time growing up & a place to flourish.
• One of the worst things we can to do our kids is stay in that negative nit-picky mode
• When we are negative in homeschooling we are sewing failure into them. We need to speak LIFE into them.
• Its easy to cross line between encouraging kids & being nit-picky & negative, since they are a reflection of us.
• The goal is to prepare them (our children) for their God-given calling.
• Each race is different – but each race has the same destination.

Related articles

• Of Apologia and Internet (boastinginmyweakness.com)
• Meet Debra Bell: Apologia Blog Hop (thehappyhousewife.com)

I took this photo at the State Fair of Texas a couple weeks ago in the children’s barnyard area!  We had so much fun looking at and petting all of the sweet baby animals!  They weren’t your typical “barnyard” animals – as you can see!

I entered this photo into a little contest that is being put on my The Children’s Medical Center of Dalls – and I would be thrilled to get your vote!

Related articles

• {Not So} Wordless Wednesday – Pumpkin Gardening (boastinginmyweakness.com)

In other news: I had a fabulous time at the Apologia Live Retreat!

I can’t wait to share more, but that will require Internet and a real computer! If you had a chance to check out my twitter feed this weekend, you got a glimpse at the wonderful encouragement we had the privilege of receiving. I can’t wait to share more and give you a better summary of all that went on!

Until then, have a great week friends!

If you are not attending this Austin event, be sure to follow along on Twitter tomorrow evening and Saturday for encouraging tidbits. Follow hashtag #apologialive or my twitter timeline for live tweets from this weekends conference!! See you in Austin – or on twitter!

My girl ~ my sweet daughter ~ turned 7 yesterday.

(Our Internet has been out all week, so I decided to go ahead and write this from my iPhone. I hope it turns out alright.)

Anyone else get all emotional around birthdays?

I really can’t help it. And i’m not really talking about crying emotional – but thoughtful, introspective, emotional. I think about their birth-day. Think about the past years we’ve spent with them during their life. Think about how amazing the gift of life is, and how unbelievably thankful I am to God for blessing us with this child, and the years He’s given her thus far. I think about all she’s been through, and what we’ve been through together, and how God has been faithful through it all. I think about her future, and what God might have planned for her life.

I think about these things and so much more….and my heart overflows with joy and thankfulness to my kind God – who has bkessed me far beyond anything I deserve.

Happy 7th birthday to our precious daughter!

I have this wonderful old Kitchen Aid mixer my grandma gave me several years ago (her old mixer).  I have no idea how old this baby is, but I love it!  It is still working like a champ!  I get so much great use out of it, and I will use it as long as it keeps tickin’!  The problem I have with it, however, is that it quite frequently splashes/sprays food everywhere when I use it!  This, I do not like.  It’s not fun trying to clean batter from all over your counters/walls/stove/cabinets/floors…you get the picture.  That part of using the mixer drives me nuts!  Since it is an old model kitchen aid, it doesn’t have the splash guard to go with it.  That would be nice.  Anywho, I was using my mixer today and before I turned it on {fearing the horrible mess I was about to make}, noticed a piece of saran wrap laying on the counter….this wonderful ideal instantly popped into my head….

So simple – yet I can not quite express the extent of joy this brings to me!

It’s the little things, folks!

So, my friends, if you find yourself in this same splash-guard-less-mixer-predicament, grab some saran and wrap that baby up!  Turn the mixer on, and presto – delicious goodness without the huge mess!  LOVE it!

A few more pics of the garden {taken on my iPhone}…

I started out with 1 tiny row in 1/2 of my raised bed garden….they took over the whole raised bed – plus the yard.  It now jets our at leas another 3 or 4 feet to the left of what this picture is showing.  Crazy I tell ya!  But I love it!

Pumpkin on the vine

And just for fun….the giant Zucchini we found in the garden!

I have had SO MUCH FUN with this first little garden of mine!  Even with one of the worst droughts Texas has ever seen – the little garden did pretty well!  I am ready to double the size of it next spring….let’s see if I can get Jared on board with that!  ;)

Ok hands down.  Oh.My.Goodness.  Is it not just about the best website ever invented?!  Seriously.  If you are not on it, you are totally missing out.

Might I go as far as to say that (*gasp*) it’s even better than facebook?!  Ok, ok, maybe that is a little harsh.  I mean, they are two totally different animals.

I guess what I mean about comparing it to Facebook is that unlike Facebook, Pinterest inspires me.  Facebook is quite the time sucker and makes me feel super unproductive. (*Note: I do love FB for staying connected with friends!)  Pinterest actually inspires me to go and do something – creative – or productive!  Pinterest could become another time sucker if you let it.  But, on the other hand, if you let it actually inspire you to do things, it can have quite the opposite effect.  I often try to look through Pinterest rather quickly, so I can get off the computer and go and create something, or organize something, or do some fun project with the kids.  Has anyone else found this to be the case?  Have you actually made or done any of the ideas you have pinned on your boards?

I don’t think I am alone in this.  A friend from church is even hosting a “Pinterest Party” in November, where we will all get together and bring things we have made or done from Pinterest, to show and tell – complete with Pinterest inspired foods!

Ok, so if you are reading this and have no idea what this Pinterest thing is, let me give a quick overview.  Basically it is a place to store everything you love.

Some of my Pinterest Boards

You create “pin boards” and name them whatever you like.  You can pin things you love, or find interesting, or want to make, do, or try – whatever – it’s totally your personality and likes pinned up on your boards.  You also can follow others, and will see their pins in your feed, which you can then “repin” to your own board – if it is something you love too!

A few more of my Boards

It is a great way to gain inspiration for everyday life and things around your home, etc.  But, it is also a great tool for things like Homeschooling ideas, Wedding Planning, Shower and Party Planning, Cooking, things pertaining to your business, photography, crafting, etc.(I could literally go on and on!)  Pretty much anything you can think of!

Some of my recent pins…

So!  Back to what I mentioned earlier….if you are on Pinterest, have you actually done any of the things you have pinned on your boards?  If so, I’d love to see them/hear all about them!!  Do share!

I still have so many things on my boards that I would love to do!  There are also things on there that are simply things I love – and not necessarily things to do!

So far though, I have:

• Used ideas/printables from Pinterest to revamp or actually redo my tired Home Management Binder.  I am lovin’ the new look.  That should be another blog post!
• Made cupcakes for a baby shower that a friend pinned and asked me to make.
• Tried a few photography tips I found on there
• Used clothing inspiration to dress my family for our family photo session
• Several sewing projects in the works
• Tried a new recipe

See you on Pinterest!

 -

I miss sharing with my blog readers though!  Last week we went to a local Pumpkin Farm for Homeschool Day – and had loads of FUN!

Awww, Brotherly-Sisterly Love!

Cousins!! Plus my sister - so we could get baby Margot in the picture too!! Aren't they adorable?!

Sweet Cousins!

Sweetness!

A little silliness

A little more silliness...

The kids all had so much fun jumping on the new GIANT pillow jump!!

Z jumping

T jumping

Howdy from Mainstay Farm!

Look at that little cutie-patootie!

Big cousin Trevor taking care of little Juliet! (She likes holding her big cousin's hand)

Sweet baby Margot (niece)

(Niece)Juliet picking out her pumpkin

Look at that cheeser!

(nephew) Jaysen with the pumpkin he chose to take home

(niece) Big sis Sierra with her pumpkin

Sweet Trev with his pumpkin

Little Zo and her pumpkin

Hay Barn Fun!

Trevor being silly with cousin Sierra

It is such a blessing to live pretty close to my sister – and to be able to get the kids together for these kinds of outings.  They all ADORE each other!!  So thankful!

PS. Sorry to get all “Pioneer Woman” on you with the gazillion pictures….I get a little snap happy sometimes….ok, a lot of times! What I’ve shared is only a small fraction of what I actually shot! *grin*  What can I say?!  I love pictures!!

RETREAT TICKET WINNER

Please join me in congratulating Krystal Griffin!!  Random.org chose comment #23!  She has won the free ticket to the Apologia Live Retreat of her choice!!  

Congrats Krystal!!!

If you didn’t win – don’t fret – Apologia has some great registration deals going on!  Austin is coming up – so if you are thinking of going to that location – sign up soon!  That is where I will be attending – can’t wait to see you there!!!

Several weeks ago I posted about the upcoming Apologia Live Retreats.  The Austin Retreat is quickly approaching, and I am SO looking forward to it!

What IS an Apologia Live Retreat?
This retreat is a wonderful opportunity for the homeschool mom, no matter where she is in her journey, to have some time to get away and be fed spiritually.  As homeschool moms we pour so much of ourselves into our families, that sometimes we neglect to take the time needed to recharge and refresh ourselves in the Lord.  And then what happens?  Burnout, frustration, and dare I say….giving up?!!   The goal of these retreats is to give that Christ-centered encouragement and refreshment we so desperately need!!

So what can you expect from the Apologia Live Retreat?
From the Apologia Live website:

“In the General Sessions we will worship, learn, listen, and pray. We will be encouraged spiritually.  The speakers will share their struggles and successes from their own homeschool experiences…Outside of the general sessions we will encourage one another in prayer and fellowship.”

• Listen to a sample lesson HERE
• MEET all of the Speakers
• Check out the Schedule of Events
• What to Expect

How about you?  Have you considered attending one of their upcoming retreats?

Well, guess what?!  I have something wonderful for you…

Those sweet ladies of Apologia I told you so much about….well, they are so very generously offering a FREE RETREAT TICKET to one of my lovely readers!!  This ticket is good for the retreat location of your choice:

 Chicago, October 7-8, 2011

Austin, October 21-22, 2011

Baltimore, March 9-10, 2012

Atlanta, March 23-24, 2012

{$115 value. Includes the Friday evening sessions and all day Saturday until 4:15, plus Saturday lunch. Does not include transportation or hotel.}

GIVEAWAY

REQUIRED ENTRY

• Leave a comment below saying why you’d like to win the ticket.
  • • • • • • •  

         

ADDITIONAL ENTRIES (be sure to leave a separate comment for each entry!)

• Follow Apologia on EITHER  Facebook or Twitter (1 entry only)
• Share this post – through any one of the methods offered in the “Share This” box located at the end of this post
• Subscribe to Boasting In My Weakness through email or a feed reader of your choice
• Follow BIMW on Facebook OR Twitter (1 entry only)

Giveaway will close on Friday September 30th at 6pm CST
Winner will be drawn using Random.org 

Related articles

• Calling All Homeschool Mamas!! (boastinginmyweakness.com)
• Meet Debra Bell: Apologia Blog Hop (thehappyhousewife.com)

Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.  Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you.  Only let us hold true to what we have attained.
Philippians 3:13-16

My review of Easy Canvas Prints is live today over at Hip Homeschool Moms!  Check it out and enter for a chance to win your very own free canvas print!